Hi; yeah, their wheat free bread is actually rye bread. The amount of people who don't realise that wheat free doesn't necessarily mean gluten free is rather large - it doesn't surprise me that the people at pret don't know. They're so clueless in pret!
I did notice that their label looks a lot like the cross grain symbol - obviously they didn't do their research!
Though I guess it is a step in the right direction

Sorry to hear about your wheat allergy Tazzie, but congratuations that you have an official diagnosis of what is wrong with you so you can stop it happening!
I personally haven't had the tingling, but I can agree with you that it is common to read about that kind of thing on here. Seems perfectly normal to me. It might be too soon to tell, but does it go away after a week or so of not eating wheat?
In terms of the 'gum' thing - a lot of gluten free foods use xantham gum to act as a (for want of a better word) 'springy' agent! Guar gum is made from the guar bean - it is used in much the same way as xantham gum - to emulsify and thicken. I'm not sure what those guidelines mean to be honest when they mention just 'gum'. I am sure some chewing gum will have wheat/gluten in it, but I believe I'm right in saying the majority does not.
You will get used to what these funny ingredients that seem to be in everything are! If in doubt, google the ingredient+wheat or +gluten. I probably do that twice a day!
Are you based in the UK? If you are, you can buy a directory from the Coeliac society that is basically a little book of all foods that are gluten free on sale in the UK. It's very comprehensive and has pretty much everything in there.
Remember, if in doubt, don't eat it! And check the ingredients of *everything*!

You're absolutely not alone. It was so difficult at first, and all I wanted was a big pizza! I was moody, depressed, happy, and sleepy all at once.
However, it's been nearly a year for me now, and everything is fine. Except when I get absolutely glutened, all of the mood swings are virtually gone .

Hello,
I was recently sent a list of gluten-free foods available at Pret-a-Manger, and I thought I'd post it on here as it may be useful to some of you. Especially concerning the soups, as whenever I ask, I just get stared at blankly!
They are now doing a wheat-free sandwich, unfortunately it's not gluten-free, but it's a step in the right direction.
So here is what we can eat from Pret:
Bakery

Right from the horses mouth: I'm so sad about the eggnog latte!
"Thank you for contacting Starbucks Coffee Company regarding gluten-free products.
None of our beverages, with the exception of our Strawberries and Cream Frappuccino,
are made with ingredients that contain gluten. However, the vanilla sprinkles
provided at the condiment bar for customer use do contain gluten. The remaining
toppings do not contain gluten.
Please also be aware that our Christmas drinks were launched yesterday. I can assure
you that syrups within these beverages are free from gluten, as is the steamed milk
and whipped cream. However, we cannot guarantee that the sugar toppings on these
drinks are gluten-free. Unfortunately, our Eggnog mix is also not gluten-free.
You may also be interested to learn that we offer products that are made with
ingredients that are free from gluten. Currently this includes a sandwich, with
seasonally changing filling, and a Belgian chocolate cake. We also sell two
varieties of Eat Natural fruit and nut bars, both of which are made with ingredients
free from gluten. Please ask the barista in store if you are unable to locate these
items.
We appreciate your interest in our product range and look forward to welcoming you
into your local store.
Yours sincerely
Customer Care Specialist"

One more thing to add to this topic.
I got sick, so I called the customer care line. ALL of the Christmas drinks have gluten (egg nog latte, gingerbread latte, creme brulee latte).
It was my own stupid fault for not checking and assuming the gingerbread latte is ok because the rest of their syrups are fine....!

Hello. No, I know it's nowhere near Christmas!
Though our (sometimes) gluten-free friends at Starbucks seem to think it is and have started selling their Christmas drinks. I wanted to warn you all to not get too excited....
Stupid me didn't bother asking about the Gingerbread Latte as all of the other syrups are fine. I got sick .
I called their customer care line to see which of their Christmas drinks have gluten in, and I heard the three words I was dreading:
"They all do." .
I'm just going to have to get my Christmas cheer elsewhere...!

Something else for you to add to your calls...!!
In the UK, Starbucks already sell gluten free Belgian Chocolate Cake (as well as gluten free sandwiches, though they usually sell out within an hour of opening!) It's a lot like the brownies and every time I have seen it being served, the staff are using either a paper bag, or clean tongs.
They're getting the message here in the UK - let them know there!!

Hi Kerry. I've been gluten free since February this year, and yes, gluten is in EVERYTHING!!! (well, everything good anyway!).
First of all, congratulations of the weight loss; even if you don't see it as visible, it's an amazing start and a fantastic achievement in such a short period of time .
I'm not going to lie, going gluten-free is so hard at first - you just want to stuff your face with cake and bread, but it gets better, and easier. You *will* feel better. It took me about 2 months to get used to it. Now I don't even blink when cakes are being handed round the office!
When I first went gluten-free, I lost 2 and a half stone in about 3 months, and it's stayed off. I'm still losing, but it's at a slower (and much healthier) rate.
In terms of practicality and finding gluten free things, I'm in London, so I might be able to help in terms of what is around in the UK . My key advice would be: fresh, simple, plain ingredients, and cut your dairy intake. This way you *know* exactly what is going into your body without having to strain your eyes on those tiny labels!
My advice with hot chocolate would be to buy Green and Black's cocoa and make it yourself my adding a little sugar and milk (if you're having digestion problems, I would recommend soya milk - the hot chocolate will taste more creamy!). This way you know exactly what is in your drink, it tastes better, and it just has fewer processed ingredients. But if you want something instant, there are plenty of hot chocolate mixes out there without gluten - just check the labels and try different brands. You never know, there may be one you prefer to your regular brand .
Gluten-free pasta is, as many people on here will agree, nowhere near as good as good old gluten-filled pasta! To be honest, I'd avoid it. It's not nice, and it'll just make you miserable and pine for the real stuff!
Great foods I would recommend: I eat tonnes of rice, quinoa (a great substitute for cous-cous, and really good for you), and just filling-foods like potatoes. I find a main problem is just not being able to be full on salad and fruit!! There are a few gluten-free cereals out there that are great for breakfast. I'd recommend Nature's Path Mesa Sunrise cereal (they sell it in Tesco, Sainsbury's etc).
Homemade soup is great for lunch. Just think how much more nutritious it is for you than sandwiches. A good tip from me is to add a little dash of sesame oil to soup. Remember, there are stock cubes you can get that are gluten-free to add more flavour (Knoll brand).
I hope that's helpful - if you need any more tips, just let me know!
Hannah.

Regarding the malt powder and chips: At Starbucks they will only put the frappucino blenders in the dishwasher at the end of the day, so everything is just rinsed with hot water throughout the day.
So if they currently have malt or chip frappucinos on the menu, I guess there are no guarantees. You could ask them to run a blender pot through the dishwasher or use an unused one .

Hi everyone,
I thought I would share some information I got from Starbucks about gluten in their products as I have been searching around and couldn't find anything. I thought I could offer some info to anyone looking!
I was worries about the gluten content of their drinks as:
- The mocha syrup (in mochas, hot chocolates, chocolate frappucinos) is made from a powder which hot water is added to
- Cream frappuccinos are made from a powder which milk is added to
- Coffee frappucinos and chai tea lattes are made from a pre-mix which milk is then added to
I asked these specific questions and got the following reply:
"Thank you for contacting Starbucks Coffee Company regarding gluten-free products. None of our beverages, with the exception of our Strawberries and Cream Frappuccino,
are made with ingredients that contain gluten. However, the vanilla sprinkles
provided at the condiment bar for customer use does contain gluten. The remaining
toppings do not contain gluten."
So good news!
This was from the UK Starbucks customer care team, though I used to have a summer job at Starbucks and can confirm that they use the exact same pre-mix packs as they do in the US (it is all imported to the UK).
She is also talking only about drinks currently available - so any seasonal things like malt frappucinos or anything with chips in (cookie chips) won't be gluten-free. Also, the US probably have different frappuccinos available, but as the mix is the same, the plain coffee and cream frappucinos and those with syrup/sauce (caramel, vanilla, chocolate, espresso) will be gluten-free.

I love this forum :)!! It's so good to have people who know what we're all going through, and aren't embarrassed to talk about the more unsavoury symptoms of being glutened!
Dairy is a problem for me also - nowhere near as much as gluten, e.g. I don't get pain when I eat dairy. I decided to test it out one day and drink a load of milk (about 2 pints) and see what happened! And lo and behold, our old friend D turned up!
Isn't it something to do with the enzyme used to break down dairy (or lactose) is impaired by the damage to the intestines?

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Celiac.com was founded in 1995 by Scott Adams, author of Cereal Killers, founder and publisher of Journal of Gluten Sensitivity, and founder of The Gluten-Free Mall, who had a single goal for the site: To help as many people as possible with celiac disease get diagnosed and living a happy, healthy gluten-free life!